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Government of Nepal boosts its supportfor Tiger Conservation
Combatting illegal wildlife crimein Nepal
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4Unlocking the Mysteryof Tsum Valley
Bringing Out the Bestin Each Other
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© Rabi Sharma/WWF
WWF Nepal newsletterVol 5 | No. 1 | August 2011aUGUST
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Message from the Country RepresentativeDear reader,
WWF Nepal turned 18 this fiscal year and with this first edition
of ‘Inside the Himalayas’ of the new fiscal, I take pride in
sharing with you some of the key conservation wins for Nepal over
the past year. These achievements reflect the potential of
collaborative working, both nationally and on a trans-boundary
level, and I would like to thank the Government of Nepal, partner
conservation agencies, community-based organisations and the local
communities that we work with for joining hands in building on the
successes of conservation interventions in Nepal.
• A conducive policy environment is key to the success of any
conservation endeavour. At the national level, prime institutional
mechanisms such as the National Tiger Conservation Committee,
Wildlife Crime Control Coordination Committee and Wildlife Crime
Control Bureau are now in place to strengthen tiger protection
measures and curb poaching and illegal wildlife trade. This has
been complemented by partnerships with the governments of China and
India to address biodiversity conservation and illegal wildlife
trade at the trans-boundary level, and the establishment of the
Secretariat of the South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network (SAWEN)
in Nepal as a coordinated regional response to combat illegal
poaching and trafficking.
• The historic International Tiger Conservation Forum organized
in St. Petersburg, Russia, in late 2010 spurred a series of actions
for tiger conservation. The National Tiger Recovery Plan, based on
the Global Tiger Recovery Plan, for Nepal has been prepared with
the Government of Nepal committing NRs. 60o million to help double
the number of tigers in the wild by 2022, the next Year of the
Tiger. Likewise, the World Bank is investing $3 million under the
Regional IDA project to conserve tigers and trans-boundary
conservation for Nepal while Hollywood celebrity, Leonardo
DiCaprio, provided $1 million to fund anti-poaching efforts and
habitat protection in the priority tiger landscapes, with Nepal
being the priority country starting 2010.
• Forests are at the heart of WWF Nepal’s conservation
priorities where the effort is to build ecological integrity and
provide a host of ecological services and benefits to local
communities in a sustainable manner. Restoration of over 1,600ha of
barren land and degraded forests and the handover of over 4,000ha
of forests to Community Forest User Groups (CFUGs) in the Terai Arc
Landscape (TAL) and Sacred Himalayan Landscape (SHL) were clear big
wins in this regard. Likewise, about 80,000ha of forests in the
corridor areas were declared as Protection Forests together with
the gazettement of Banke National Park.
• Given that one of the biggest impacts of climate change is on
water resources, water-based adaptation was continued in Dudhkoshi
sub-basin under the National Water Plan, benefiting more than 2,000
users. Through the promotion of water-smart communities, more than
300 households were able to earn NRs. 1 million by selling
off-season vegetables.
• Considering the link between biodiversity conservation and
livelihoods of rural communities dependent on natural resource, WWF
Nepal’s sustainable livelihoods programme helped further improve
the well-being of communities in TAL and SHL. Income generation
activities (IGAs) benefited about 17,000 people in SHL and TAL
through the promotion of agriculture and off-farm based activities.
In TAL alone, the cooperatives and Community Forest Coordination
Committees were able to mobilise funds of over USD 250,000 for
IGAs.
• Carbon financing and the sale of carbon credits were
introduced as innovative sustainable financing mechanisms for
Nepal. Through the use of biogas, 7,500 households in TAL received
funds from the sale of the first vintage of carbon credits under
the Gold Standard Biogas VER Project upon successful completion of
the construction of the first phase of the project. The use of
biogas and improved cooking stoves also helped save nearly 8,000
metric tons of fuelwood.
• Improved rhino protection measures and management of habitat
helped lead to a surge in rhino populations, with the National
Rhino Census conducted in April 2011 revealing a count of 534
rhinos in Nepal, marking an increase of 99 rhinos (22.7%) from the
435 recorded in 2008.
• Cutting edge science was introduced to aid tiger monitoring
efforts through the country’s first collaring of a wild tiger with
a GPS-enabled (GPS PLUS GLOBALSTAR-3) satellite collar. Similarly,
Management Information System Technology (MIST) was introduced in
Shuklaphanta Wildlife Reserve and Chitwan National park to help in
patrolling efforts. Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) was also
piloted successfully to establish Tier III level data on the forest
carbon stock for TAL through the partnership with Forest Resource
Assessment-Government of Nepal and Arbonaut, Finland.
Despite these successes, it is not yet time to rest on our
laurels of the past as we have lots of new challenges as well as
new opportunities awaiting us in the days to come. WWF Nepal now
strides into yet another new year with the hope to face new
challenges, learn more and share new successes with friends, such
as you, for a living planet.
I hope you enjoy our first edition this year of ‘Inside the
Himalayas’.
Anil ManandharCountry Representative
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Government of Nepal has decided to provide an additional ten
million rupees for tiger conservation in Nepal. The decision was
taken at a meeting called on 29 July 2011 by Rt. Honorable
Jhalanath Khanal, Prime Minister of Nepal, with the government
agencies and conservation organizations, including WWF Nepal,
working on tiger conservation to mark Global Tiger Day. At the
meeting, the Prime Minister of Nepal was also briefed on the
current status of tigers in the wild.
The National Tiger Conservation Committee (NTCC) meeting was
called for the first time since the Prime Minister took up office;
the NTCC
was originally established under the chairmanship of ex-Prime
Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal to combat tiger poaching and illegal
trade at the national level.
Important decisions taken at the meeting included formulation of
the new work plan of NTCC and strengthening strategies to curb
illegal wildlife trade, use of scientific tools to aid tiger
conservation, undertaking periodic review and update of the
National Tiger Recovery Program, and establishment of a Tiger
Conservation Cell within Nepal Police. The meeting also decided to
expand the organizational structure of the Department of National
Parks and Wildlife Conservation.
In a separate event organized in Chitwan district in the Terai
Arc Landscape-Nepal, representatives of political parties from the
district, government line agencies, conservation partners, media,
and community-based organizations discussed on tiger conservation
measures to be taken in Chitwan National Park – the area that hosts
the highest number of tigers in Nepal. At the event, political
parties expressed their commitment for tiger conservation with key
focus on habitat management, control over poaching and illegal
trade, conservation of prey species, and establishment of a relief
fund for victims of human-wildlife conflict.
Shaaravi was amongst the 32 children who participated in the
'Draw a Tiger' art competition organized by WWF Nepal on the
occasion of Global Tiger Day.
Besides the art competition, WWF Nepal also partnered with a
leading supermarket in Kathmandu to distribute tiger fliers to
customers as they checked out of the store. Proudly wearing her
t-shirt that read 'TX2: Save Tigers Now', 32-year old Sunita
employed at the supermarket remarked that this was the first time
that she had been part of a social campaign and felt honored to
help in her own way for tigers.
WWF Nepal also partnered with three television channels under
live telecasts wherein the Director General of Department of
National Parks and Wildlife Conservation discussed about the state
of tigers in Nepal while Dr. Narendra Man Babu Pradhan,
Conservation Biologist at
WWF Nepal, spoke about Nepal's possibilities of doubling its
number of wild tigers by 2022. Similarly, Dr. Ghana S. Gurung,
Conservation Program Director at WWF Nepal, was invited as a guest
in a popular live call-in program to discuss about Global Tiger Day
and the steps WWF was taking for protecting tigers in Nepal.
Poaching and illegal wildlife trade poses immediate threats to
tigers in Nepal. With the successful restoration of habitat and the
presence of a good prey base for tigers, the only significant
hurdle against tiger conservation in Nepal is poaching. Global
Tiger Day was, in effect, celebrated with the theme, 'Zero
Poaching', in order to draw the attention of policy makers,
conservation agencies, civil society and the public at large
towards the steps each constituency could take in helping protect
tigers in Nepal.
Celebrations galore at Global Tiger Day"I want to draw my baby
tiger," beamed nine-year old Shaaravi as she gathered her drawing
paper and crayons together.
Green Hiker Launch the green Hiker campaign was formally
launched by Honorable Khadga Bahadur Biswakarma, Minister of
Tourism and Civil Aviation, Government of Nepal at an event
organized to commemorate the 4th International Sagarmatha (Mt.
Everest) Day at Nepal Tourism Board on 29 May 2011. The Green Hiker
campaign is a WWF initiative to conserve the Himalayan high
altitude wetlands, founded under its ‘Saving Wetlands Sky-High!
programme. It is already running successfully in India in five
Himalayan states. In Nepal, Nepal Tourism Board, Government of
Nepal, is a partner to this campaign.
Targeted primarily at tourists and tour operators, the campaign
is an awareness drive to promote responsible tourism in the high
altitude areas. Tourism is a strong revenue generator for Nepal and
its communities, with Nepal’s natural riches being the major
attraction for tourists. To sustain tourism and tourist flows,
protection of the natural habitat is an imperative, hence this
campaign to encourage tourists to undertake environment- friendly
actions and contribute to local economies while travelling through
this fragile eco-region.
Merchandising, interpersonal communications and events will be
the major tools used in this campaign.
With Nepal Tourism Board as partner, the Green Hiker campaign
will continue through Nepal Tourism Year 2011 and beyond. While
Nepal Tourism Board will work through its network of tourism
partners, WWF Nepal will work through its field offices,
community-based organizations and local communities under the
Sacred Himalayan Landscape program to help promote the
campaign.
Speaking at the event, Dr. Ghana Gurung, Conservation Program
Director of WWF Nepal, opined that tourism gains cannot be at the
cost of the environment. “We need to ensure that Nepal’s natural
heritage is passed on from generation to generation; collective
effort of the government, development agencies and the private
sector under the Green Hiker campaign is expected to contribute to
this end,” he added.
© Akash Shrestha/WWF Nepal
© Simrika Sharma Marasini/WWF Nepal
© Vivek R. Sinha/WWF-Canon
Government of Nepal boosts its support for Tiger
Conservation
MOU between Forest Resource assessment and WWFa Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) was signed between WWF Nepal and Forest
Resource Assessment Nepal to promote forest and forest carbon
inventory, biodiversity monitoring and assessment of forest and
natural resources across Nepal on 30 June 2011.
Over a five year project period, WWF Nepal and
Forest Resource Assessment Nepal will establish an efficient
working relationship to achieve the common goals and objectives;
strive together for joint-use of data in Nepal; strive towards
understanding important roles, capabilities and approaches of each
partner for promotion of assessment of forest resources and achieve
synergy in program support
by avoiding duplication in activities and allocating the
resources in the most efficient and effective manner through
collaboration.
Mr. Anil Manandhar, Country Representative of WWF Nepal, and Mr.
Tuomo Kotimaki, Chief Technical Advisor of Forest Resource
Assessment Nepal, were the signatories of the MoU.
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Despite stringent laws against illegal wildlife trade, curbing
such trade has been a difficult task. Due to the involvement of
high profile racketeers the wildlife population around the world
has seen a massive decline lately. Most of the traders are found to
be well organized with links internationally that has made Nepal an
active transit point. Due to the nexus between the local traders
and the international black market, such trade is well-coordinated
and well-financed. In addition, inaccessible cross-border trails
along the northern side of Nepal and open and easy border access in
the south have made it highly difficult for security forces to
control the illegal trade.
WWF ventured into species conservation in Nepal from the 1960s.
However, its direct involvement in addressing poaching of rhinos
and tigers started from the 1990s when poaching of flagship species
was rampant in Nepal especially in and around the Chitwan National
Park.
In 1991, WWF Nepal partnered with the Department of National
Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC) to address deterrents to
tiger and rhino poaching in the national parks. WWF Nepal since
then has been supporting the government and collaborating with
other non-government and non-conventional partners.
In 2006, WWF Nepal established a separate program unit within
its office to address the issue of wildlife poaching and illegal
trade. Through this unit, WWF Nepal has been working closely with
government agencies on anti-poaching operations and illegal
wildlife trade control. This
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International trade in wildlife, while being a serious threat to
a number of endangered and vulnerable species especially the Asian
Big Cats and One-horned Rhinoceros is a proscribed business and a
worldwide phenomenon which is unfortunately increasing at a rapid
scale.
Broadly defined as an environmental crime, illegal trade of
wildlife parts is the second largest and the most profitable
business after narcotics trade in the world which is valued at
about USD 20 billion. The body parts of endangered and flagship
species are in high demand in national and international markets
which find use as trophies, fashionable accessories, cultural
artifacts, ingredients for traditional medicines and for human
consumption.
Combatting illegalwildlife crime in Nepal
was complemented by similar partnerships with local communities,
community-based organizations, non-governmental organizations as
well as other non-conventional partners.
Over the years, WWF Nepal has helped deliver some outstanding
results on the issue of poaching and illegal wildlife trade.
Working in partnership with the Government of Nepal, appropriate
policies were formulated and institutional mechanisms strengthened
through the formation of the National Tiger Conservation
Committee/Nepal under the leadership of the Prime Minister of
Nepal, Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) under the leadership of
the Minister for Forests and Soil Conservation, and Wildlife Crime
Control Coordination Committee (WCCCC) under the leadership of the
Director General of DNPWC.
Diwakar ChapagainProgram Coordinator, Wildlife Trade Control
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MoU between Nepal and China on trans-boundary biodiversity
conservation
Trans-border biodiversity conservation resolution between Nepal
and India
Tiger parts seized in Langtang National Park
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In addition to working at a national level, WWF Nepal also
actively engaged with governments at a trans-boundary level for
bilateral and regional cooperation and strengthening ecological
security in the trans-boundary region. A Memorandum of
Understanding was signed with China while a trans-border
biodiversity conservation resolution was signed with India;
likewise local level trans-boundary meetings with India and Tibetan
Autonomous Region of China were organized. These initiatives helped
establish a joint monitoring mechanism for interaction and
information sharing, with a special focus on the trans-boundary
protected areas of Nepal.
WWF Nepal played a vital role in establishing the South Asia
Wildlife Enforcement Network (SAWEN), an inter-governmental body to
counter the threats of poaching and illegal trade of wildlife and
their parts. SAWEN is a common platform to share the common issue
and design strategies for the region. The intergovernmental agency
has its Secretariat in Nepal. WWF is supporting the functioning of
the SAWEN secretariat in Nepal.
Nepal saw a surge in rhino populations with the National Rhino
Census conducted in 2011 showing an increase in rhino numbers by 99
(22.7%) since the last census in 2008; 2011 also recorded the
lowest level of poaching of rhinos in Chitwan National Park since
2001.
Enforcement agencies were able to break into the illegal
wildlife trade network and the scale of arrests of poachers and
traders also increased. This was made possible by strong actions on
the ground by the leadership taken by enforcement agencies
mobilizing local communities and partners and providing technical
and financial support to the enforcement agencies to control
poaching and illegal trade.
Poverty and lack of awareness on biodiversity conservation are
the key drivers of poaching in Nepal. WWF Nepal, in this regard,
has been supporting various grassroots-level organizations to
implement community awareness and livelihoods programs; the gun
handover ceremony in Lekhparajul VDC in Surkhet district stands as
a pertinent example. The local people of Lekhparajul VDC in Surkhet
district had been killing wild animals such as tigers and rhinos in
Bardia National park and selling their body parts. On 9 May 2011,
in a remarkable show of respect for nature and wildlife, the
residents of Lekhparajul VDC handed over their guns to the
authorities of Bardia National Park and decided to put a stop to
the killing. This was made possible by the arduous efforts of the
Lekhparajul Community Forest User Groups who conducted various
programs to raise awareness on the significance of biodiversity
conservation. The local people were also provided with a revolving
fund from the Government of Nepal and its conservation partners
like WWF Nepal, which was channelized through cooperatives, to help
them explore alternate income generation activities for their
livelihood.
WWF Nepal also successfully introduced cutting-edge science for
tiger conservation in Nepal through the country’s first collaring
of a tiger with a GPS plus
Durga Maya Kumal, 55 years old, is a resident of Meghauli VDC in
Chitwan. Five years ago, Durga Maya took a life-changing decision –
to hand over her husband to the National Park authorities; her
husband had long been involved in rhino poaching. Hers is a story
of change and a striking example of the power of the human spirit
to take charge of one’s destiny.
This is her story, in her own words.
“I was married at the age of 18. My husband, Buddhi Bahadur
Kumal, used to work as a guide at Tiger Tops. We were gifted with
two wonderful daughters and a son and life was full of happiness.
Though my husband’s earnings were limited, we had enough for our
means. I had no complaints about my life until the time my husband
took up drinking. With time his drinking
habits grew and his addiction eventually made him give up his
work, which was when he started getting engaged in criminal
activities. I never knew what he was involved in; he neither shared
anything with me nor provided any money for the family. It came as
a shock to me when I later came to know that he was involved in
poaching. I understood right then that his would be a bitter end if
he continued on this path; for how long could he run from the
authorities and save himself and us from the looming pain and
disgrace?
I was in a complete dilemma. As a wife, I wanted to protect my
husband but as a dutiful citizen I knew I had to rise above my
personal interests. But I had to take a decision and postponing it
would only mean more danger for us all. I finally handed over my
husband to the park officials in 1996 – it was a
painful decision but one which I knew was for the betterment of
us all…for a future where we could live without guilt or fear.
And looking back, I have absolutely no regrets.
My two daughters are happily married now. My son-in-law is with
the armed police force and my son works in India. I live with one
of my daughters and am managing to earn some money by working as a
manual laborer. My husband is presently imprisoned in Bharatpur
jail. I feel sad whenever I go and meet him but I am happy that I
don’t have to worry anymore about his whereabouts and his safety. I
am patiently waiting for the day he will be released so that we can
reunite as a family again.”
as told to Madhav Khadka,Wildlife Trade Monitoring
[email protected]
The day I decided to change my life…
GLOBALSTAR-3 satellite collar to aid tiger ecology and
monitoring studies, and the introduction of Management Information
System Technology (MIST) in Shuklaphanta Wildlife Reserve and
Chitwan National Park to help in patrolling efforts.
This year, the Tigers Alive Initiative of WWF launched the ‘Zero
Poaching of Tigers’ campaign in the 13 tiger range countries,
including Nepal, to halt poaching as the long prescribed remedy to
tiger conservation. The rationale of the campaign is to lift the
scale, intensity and professionalism of the effort against poaching
and ensure that it never drops again. The campaign aims to raise
and build awareness amongst civil society, policy makers and local
communities in tiger range countries, leading to the creation of
political pressure for enhanced action for tiger conservation and
better standards for parks, protected areas, and rangers and
protected area officials.
In the backdrop of these achievements, the road to success is
still a long and winding one. It is hoped, however, that through
collaborative and concerted efforts on the ground and at the policy
level, Nepal will be able to combat this largest threat to
wildlife, slowly but surely, in the years to come.
[email protected]
© Madhav Khadka/WWF Nepal
Rhino postmortem being conducted
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Anti-poaching operation team with arrested poachers
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Bringing Out the Best in Each Other
Prajana Waiba PradhanHuman Resources Officer
The last quarter of 2011 was the onset of a new fiscal year for
WWF Nepal and another exciting journey in conservation. In
celebration of 18 glorious years of the establishment of WWF in
Nepal, an event was organized for WWF staff on May 19 based on the
theme, ‘Bringing out the Best in Each Other’. While serving as an
occasion to reflect on our learnings and achievements over the past
18 years, the event was organized to also strengthen the team
spirit at WWF Nepal. And as WWF Nepal matured over these years in
both program delivery and the drive for results, the event served
as an opportunity to consider the tremendous amount of work that we
still needed to do in the years to come to bring out the best in
each other for the benefit of nature and the empowerment of the
communities that we work with. From an HR perspective, it was also
about reflecting on all the contributions of our dedicated work
force.
And speaking about team spirit, what better way of instilling
this passion than by engaging staff in a whole day of team-building
fun and games. Breaking away from tradition, this year we decided
to reshuffle the teams. While this decision meant that staff would
have to leave their treasured team identity of the past that they
had held on to for many years, the reshuffling was in fact a great
way to foster increased interaction and communication among the
staff members. It was even more interesting when the teams came up
with their
own brand identities – ‘The Jaguars’ and ‘Flying Falcons’, both
masters in their own right of the sky and the earth, were
determined to establish their dominance over each other. Over stiff
competition spread across different games such as football,
bowling, cricket, table tennis and badminton, the day’s end finally
decided its heroes; the sky ruled over the earth with the Flying
Falcons walking away victorious with the WWF Shield.
The theme, ‘Bringing out the Best in Each Other’, ran high among
all staff that day, which was further complemented by the Staff
Awards ceremony organized at the end of the day. Peer voting was
used for the purpose as an ideal way of promoting democracy while
letting staff know in a pleasant and fun way what colleagues felt
about them. For the Staff Awards, three categories – Employee of
the Year, Best Team Player and The Field Star – remained the same
each year which were complemented by six additional fun categories.
This year saw a record of three staff members tied for the Employee
of the Year Award while two staff members received the Long Service
Award for 10 years of meritorious service to WWF Nepal.
Another important HR initiative this year was the first aid
training conducted for all staff by the Nepal
Red Cross Society as part of our Health and Safety activity. The
training was conducted on two separate days for separate staff and
covered topics such as day-to-day risks of injuries and different
first aid tips to handle each. All staff members enthusiastically
took part in the training.
For me, personally, my participation in the HR Fundamentals
Training held in WWF US in April 2011 was one of the most
productive undertakings. The training not only helped me understand
more about the HR system but also gave me an opportunity to
personally meet all the people that I had been working with, mostly
on a virtual front, over the last six years.
And this is but the beginning of many more exciting events at
WWF. I certainly look forward to a fruitful and an exciting year
ahead.
[email protected]
© WWF Nepal
WWF Staff awards 2011WWF Long Service Award• Bhagwan Lal
Shrestha• Tilak Dhakal
Employee of the Year• Santosh Mani Nepal• Khadga Bahadur
Shrestha• Ugan Manandhar
Best Team Player• Prajana Waiba Pradhan
Field Star• Tilak Dhakal
Shining Debut Star• Akash Shrestha
Spark Plug• Dr. Ghana Shyam Gurung• Prajana Waiba Pradhan
Still Waters Run Deep• Bhawani Shankar Dongol
Peekaboo • Santosh Mani Nepal
Pit Bull• Dr. Ghana Shyam Gurung
Happy Camper• Prajana Waiba Pradhan
© WWF Nepal© WWF Nepal © WWF Nepal © WWF Nepal
© WWF Nepal
© WWF Nepal
© WWF Nepal
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A chance to leave my desk and go out and explore the wilderness
is something that I have always looked forward to. I feel that
there is so much to learn, see and discover in life, and nature is
one of the best teachers in this regard.
And the month of March this year brought me one of those
opportunities where I was to accompany Mr. Jon Miceler, Program
Managing Director-WWF Eastern Himalayas, Mr. Forrest Carlson
Berkley, WWF’s well-wisher from the US, and Mr. Andrew William
Dineen, a retired teacher from UK, on a trek to Tsum valley. I had
heard little of Tsum valley and I jumped at the opportunity of
unlocking this mystery.
The Tsum Valley Home Stay was our official trekking agency for
the trip that made sure all logistics and travel arrangements were
carefully managed for our positive trekking experience. Our trek
finally began on the Nepali New Year’s day – a very auspicious day
in itself as it marked the beginning of another year of dreams,
hopes and aspirations for all Nepalis; it was also a day of pride
for me as I was heading to one of those many destinations that made
Nepal a traveller’s delight.
On the first day of our trip, we drove from Kathmandu to Arughat
Bazar in Gorkha district, which was the starting point of our trek
to Manaslu Conservation Area (MCA). We spent the first day at
Arughat Bazar and headed to Lapubesi, a small village near the
Budhi Gandaki River, the next day. The night at Lapubesi was the
first tented camp of our trip. The camping site was a vast green
meadow, and the gushing sound of the river made it look like a
place straight out of a storybook. As dusk set in and the sound
from the river enveloped the night’s silence, I got engrossed in
one of my all-time favorite books, “Maile Dekheko Nepal”, a memoir
and travelogue by late Dr. Harka Gurung. A famous geographer and an
explorer, Dr. Harka Gurung himself had travelling up and down the
terrains of this beautiful country, and sitting there
in the lap of nature, I could virtually connect with his
experiences. It suddenly made me realize that I was also doing my
small bit as a Nepali…exploring its hidden riches and encouraging
my innate self to do something for my country.
After four days of an arduous walk along the Budhi Gandaki River
we stopped at Philim, Sirdibas VDC, located in the headquarter of
MCA, where we
interacted with the MCA authorities and communities on the
conservation works there. Five days had already gone by…and so
quickly.
On the sixth day of our trek, we finally reached Tsum valley and
the beauty
was just mesmerizing. The undulating landscape, stone-roofed
houses, mani walls, fresh green fields and high mountains made the
place a paradise on earth. While moving across the wheat fields, a
herd of Himalayan Thar caught my sight. It was the first time that
I had seen a Thar so close and I was amazed to see the animals so
comfortable even in such close proximity with humans. Later, the
locals informed us the Buddhist religious leaders had declared the
valley as a hunting prohibited area. Conserving animals was a
sacred way of life here as part of Buddhist philosophy and hence
the harmony created between humans and wildlife.
The people of the valley were very shy but very cooperative.
Since the valley was far from the district headquarters, the
communities themselves had initiated local development work such as
trail maintenance and construction of bridges.
The people of the valley depend on Tibet for daily supplies of
food and other needs including small businesses. Although
agriculture comprised the main stay of life in Tsum, the gradual
decrease in snow-fall over the years had resulted in poorer
agricultural productivity. Chiring Lama, a local farmer, opined
that snowfall had decreased over the last decade due to God’s anger
and that God was angry because of the conflict in Nepal. Chiring
Lama had never heard about climate change or global warming which I
thought was ironical since he lived in one of the most vulnerable
places on earth. But then again I could see the harsh reality. For
many people like Chiring, it was not about awareness; it was more
about daily subsistence which came from either low-productivity
farming or from collecting Yarshagumba in the tough Himalayan
terrain.
On the eighth day of our trek through an isolated trail we
reached a beautiful monastery, Mu Gompa. We experienced heavy
snowfall on our way to Mu Gompa but we had no option but to
continue with our journey. Resting in the monastery later and
warming my frozen self with coffee and a duvet, I reflected on my
amazing trek; I had been a witness to perhaps one of the world’s
most beautiful places and sights. On the final day of our trip, we
trekked to the nearby Tibetan border (Bhajyo) where we got the
opportunity to see many herds of blue sheep, musk deer, yak and
Himalayan Pika. Bhajyo was a perfect place for meditation.
On the tenth day, while Jon and I got ready for our journey back
to Kathmandu, Forrest and Andrew were all set to head for the
famous Larke Pass. My feet were completely sore after 15 hours of a
continuous trek for the next two days. We finally reached Kathmandu
and I could hardly wait to share my experiences with my
colleagues.
Tsum had left a life time impression not just in my memory but
also in my heart. The trek to Tsum was one of life’s great lessons
for me. I saw the power of commitment and people’s resolve to
protect nature’s resources. I saw poverty and seclusion but then I
also saw hope and dreams. And deep within, I know that I shall
return to Tsum one day, to build on those hopes and dreams through
my work at WWF.
[email protected]
7
FIE
LD
DIA
RY
August 2011
Jagadish ParajuliConservation Education and Advocacy Officer
Unlocking theMystery ofTsum Valley
© WWF Nepal
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STaFF aNNOUNCEMENTS
Why we are hereTo stop the degradation of the planet’s natural
environment andto build a future in which humans live in harmony
with nature.
For Living HimalayasWWF’s work in Nepal is part of WWF’s
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exceptional wildlife, breathtaking
environment and unique people.
WWF, the Global Conservation OrganizationNepal
ProgrammeBaluwatar, Kathmandu, NepalTel: +977 1
[email protected]
www.wwfnepal.org
Terai Arc Reloaded DVD
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Sustainable Livelihoods Mainstreaming Strategy
Editor:
Simrika Sharma
Marasini
Editorial Team:
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Eliza Sthapit
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On the Cover:Rani Taal. Shuklaphanta Wildlife Reserve, Kailali
District, Nepal.- Rabi Sharma